MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University men's tennis team advanced to Monday's 10 a.m. South Region championship, following its 5-0 win over Alabama-Huntsville Sunday at Buccaneer Tennis Center.
The No. 2-ranked Buccaneers (24-0) will meet No. 15 Saint Leo (16-5) to decide the region championship. It will mark Barry's 13th straight region finals appearance.
"I think this has been the deepest team ever, and that keeps our competitiveness high," Barry assistant coach Thomas Hipp said. "We still have good team chemistry even though we have a lot of competition within the team. The competition keeps everybody on their toes. We have more than six good players. That's what keeps everybody extremely motivated in practice."
Barry's No. 1 doubles team of Marco Mokrzycki and Fabian Groetsch, who carry a No. 2 national ranking, had to walk a fine line in their 9-7 win over Jose Soto and Nestor Perez. Max Wimmer and Ollie Lemaitre beat Fredrik Graaner and Guilhermo Reyes, 8-4, at the second flight. Romain Costamagna and Leo Vivas were dominant 8-1 victors over Chris Kano and Raphael Oliveria at No. 3 pairs.
"They have a tendency to just feel out their opponent, and then they play," Hipp said of his No. 1 doubles unit. "It was kind of a wake-up call. On the other hand, our No. 3 doubles came out full of energy."
Lemaitre, who has won three straight postseason matches, was a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Perez at No. 4 singles. Kevin Sielmann, playing in his first postseason match this season, beat Oliveria, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 6 to seal it for the Buccaneers.
Sielmann collected his first NCAA Tournament singles victory in the two years he's been at Barry.
"I think Kevin did a good job," Hipp said. "It will help him with the experience in the postseason, and will give him more confidence. We may need him later on."
Barry Men's Tennis Rolls into Region Finals
Posted On : April 28, 2013
